Before Silence Burns You
by Harvest-And-Harlot
Summary: Russell can't bear to watch Tori go another Spring Festival without receiving any cookies. Rated M for adult content.


**I adore these two together, but apparently that's not a popular opinion. I started another Tori/Russell fic for my re-debut (haven't used this site for content in like seven years) but that one evolved into a chaptered fic and I have to get this pairing off my mind. **

***I did my best to proofread, but I have a habit of spelling Russell's name missing the last L. If you happen to see a stray Russel, let me know. **

**This fic contains mature content. If you can't handle two grown adults loving each other in ways a girl who reads nothing but romantic fiction loves, you best find yourself another fic, pal. **

**~~ Here's to all you readers without an account sorting by the M filter at two in the morning ~~**

Of course Russell had always been fond of Tori, but he never really realized exactly HOW fond until the new farmer, Raguna, began showering her with affection.

The librarian bit his tongue whenever Raguna would stop by every morning to speak to the shy blonde.

Not to mention the fact that Raguna was only scoping out all of the available girls, and the inevitable heartbreak that kind of situation was bound to cause made Russell's stomach twist in knots.

This particular night was hitting him worse than normal, as it was the Spring Festival, and he had to endure watching Tori grow more and more hopeless as she went another year without cookies from a suitor.

All the while Russell hid cookies in his pocket, too embarrassed to admit his feelings for the girl nearly fifteen years younger than he.

The ex-soldier stared at his daughter, sleeping peacefully in her bed a few feet away. His heart pounded, thinking hard about Tori and Cecilia and the life he longed more than anything to have with them both. Pulling the cookies from his pocket, he summoned all the courage he once had, gently stroked Cecilia's hair, and made his way down the dimly-lit street.

He reached the Inn and peered in the window, hoping to see Tori reading at the counter as she often did. Lately she had been taking the last hours before close so that her mother could get enough sleep to start the morning fresh, and the bookworm was usually up reading late anyway.

Russell's heart pounded as he saw her in the candlelight, nose buried in a book. A spark in his chest told him to turn around, to let her be, that nothing good could come of this...but the ember glowing at the bottom of his heart yearned so desperately for a definite answer. Swallowing his anxiety, he turned the doorknob, cursing the calm jingle of the bell above the door.

Tori immediately rose her head, blue eyes blinking at the sight of her employer. "R-Russell, what-" The man approached her, the fearful pessimistic in him attributing her blush to the candlelight.

"You...you deserve these." He held the small pouch of cookies out to her, a soft teal organza bag tied with light pink ribbon.

She took them before digesting their significance, and the red in her cheeks grew more prominent. "F-for..."

"Spring Festival."

"Fr-from...you...?"

Russell nodded. He found his fear had melted away like wax when exposed to her flame. Never had he wanted something more than he wanted her right then.

She responded with contemplative silence, staring at the cookies and shaking at being saturated so suddenly by emotion.

The man knew that Tori often took a little more time to get her words right, and didn't jump to any conclusions, though he wasn't sure if his thumping heart had gotten the same message.

"Russell, I don't know what to say, I..." She held the cookies close to her chest and closed her eyes. "These are the first real Spring Festival cookies I've ever received...W-why are you giving them to me?"

"You know why, you're the smartest girl in this town."

He watched her breath catch, and their eyes locked as she allowed herself to make eye contact. "Russell..."

He reached across the counter, gently holding her cheek in his hand. She didn't make any attempt to pull away, so he leaned down and kissed her lips gently. His heart jumped as she pressed into the kiss, a hand shyly reaching up for his arm.

Lightning jumped through Russell's fingers as the kiss proceeded, the whole situation feeling more like a dream than reality. The pounding in his heart now from sheer bliss.

Their eyes were locked, and Tori blew out the candle suddenly and stood. Temporarily blinded, Russell was surprised when he felt her body being thrust against his, her face buried in his shoulder and her arms locked themselves tightly around him.

The librarian relaxed and gently pet her hair with one hand, holding her close with the other.

"Don't make me go to bed without you tonight..." Her voice was timid but confident, and Russell felt a spark in his chest at her uncharacteristic tone. "I just...I don't want to sleep alone anymore..."

A thousand reasons why they shouldn't raced through his mind, but his head was far from in control. "Of course."

As soon as the pair entered the library, Tori threw herself against him, his eyes widening as he steadied himself. Of course he'd accounted for the possibility she might do this, he didn't actually think she WOULD.

Tori liked to pretend that Russell didn't know what was going on in those romance novels he special-ordered for her, but he wasn't a fool. He let her have all the control, only gently resting his hands on her hips as she feverishly kissed him.

"Tori, Tori-" He would try to pull her out of whatever was possessing her, but he knew that this was just as much the real Tori as the silent girl with her mind stuck in a page.

He could feel her tremble with anticipation as she freed him of his coat, the old, thick curtain of fabric that hid his soldier-esque physique that he'd only recently begun to lose.

They were pressed against the wall beside the stairs, Tori holding a commanding dominance over the situation, which Russell wasn't about to change. Not only did it really and truly drive him mad, but he needed to let her have all the control in order to maintain her confidence.

So he let her hands wander along his chest, feeling and learning his body. He'd let her play another minute before tracing his own hand along her waist, going upward to her ribs, and feeling her gasp and tense when his thumb just ever so slightly caressed her breast.

"Russell!" The young blonde pleaded, her knee raising and pressing between his legs, causing his own breath to catch. "Touch me...please...?"

The inquisitive end to her request was far from necessary as Russell was already hitching up her dress as he caressed up her thigh. Tori gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly as she panted and continued to plaster him with kisses and force him against the wall, the pair now slumping slightly onto the stairs.

Russell's other hand rubbed her rear, curving and teasingly stroking her between the legs occasionally, causing her to hitch her body each time. Every time her body shifted in such a manner, she rubbed her hips against his front and his hardening member, causing him to vocalize in frustration.

The girl leaned her torso away and pulled her dress off in one swift, desperate motion, and his hands immediately met her warm, soft as silk waist. The touch continued its way up to her small breasts, which were still covered by a thin white bra. It didn't take much for the fabric to be pushed up, and she cried out as he groped her, the feeling something completely different from anything she had done to herself. Her face was red and she whimpered when he thumbed over and pinched her nipples, one at a time, toying and playing with the hardened nubs.

She grinded her hips against him and he let out a low moan. The blonde was done teasing, she'd had enough foreplay. Tori began fussing with Russell's belt, her unsteady hands struggling to free what she so desperately desired fast enough. Russell reached down and helped, just enough to free him.

"Tori..." He panted. "Tori, are you-"

"YES, I'm sure!" She gasped, her fingers still gripping his shirt tight. There was a small hint of frustration, and he, albeit selfishly, wasn't willing to fight her.

So he sat up, coaxing her into changing positions. She was now seated back on the stairs and he hovered above her. With a steady hand, he firmly rubbed her soaked opening through her panties a couple of times before expertly removing them. Tori whimpered at the sensation, and suddenly arched as Russell ran two fingers through her very much lubricated folds. To stop now would truly be torture, he could see why she was so eager to continue.

Her arms were wrapped lovingly around his neck while Russell focused, using one hand to help guide his cock in. She arched her back as he gently penetrated her, and she produced a loud yelp as he made it in the first few inches, immediately followed by him urgently shushing her.

Tori's eyes squeezed shut as he moved inside of her, gliding in and out with heavy breaths. "Russell...oh, god...Russell..." She cried quietly, nearly a whisper. One of her hands pressed against the fabric still covering his shirt, the other snarled in his silver hair.

Her breathing quickened, her touches becoming more desperate as she reached a climax, his pounding becoming more desperate and forceful. She wanted to scream but used every ounce of her resolve to stay silent, instead allowing whimpers to escape in time with his movements.

Another moment passed and it was over, Russell buckling and spilling out inside of her.

The two panted together in a sweaty heap on the stairs, Tori's blue eyes bright and locked onto his.

"I love you, Tori." He confessed, still catching his breath, staring back at her with sincerity.

His assistant merely smiled, leaning up and kissing him gently.


End file.
